Coker, J. S. (2017). Student-Designed Experiments: A Pedagogical Design for Introductory Science Labs. Journal of College Science Teaching, 46(5), 14–19.
This study developed and evaluated a pedagogical design for introductory Biology labs for non-Science majors where students designed, carried out, analyzed, and presented their own experiments. The author is Director of the Elon Core Curriculum and an Associate Professor of Biology at Elon University in North Carolina, USA. Each module was 3 weeks long, allowing students to complete the entire experimental process 4 times over the course of the semester. Assessment included pre- and post-surveys, video analysis of group work, exit interviews, analysis of changes in lab reports across the semester, and instructor observations. Students rated their lab experiences highly, became more confident in using the scientific process, and improved in terms of scientific process and scientific reasoning. Students also learned science content, though the content varied from student to student.